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Receiver Antonio Bryant, currently unsigned by any NFL team and apparently facing a one-year suspension for allegedly failing to comply with the substance-abuse policy, has sued the National Football League.

Bryant raises a novel yet no-nonsense argument. He claims that he was subjected to the requirements of the substance-abuse policy at a time when he was not employed by any NFL team and, consequently, not subject to league scrutiny.

The suit, filed on Wednesday in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado, alleges tortious interference with Bryant's prospective contractual and business relationships, invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, and deceit based on fraud. Perhaps the most intriguing theory is one of false imprisonment; Bryant asserts that the NFL detained him unlawfully in order to compel him to provide urine samples under circumstances in which the NFL had no such authority, since Bryant was not employed by any NFL team.

Bryant's legal counsel is alsohis agent, Peter Schaffer of All Pro Sports & Entertainment. Schaffer has filed a motion for a temporary restraining order aimed apparently at compelling the NFL to permit Bryant to join an NFL team.

The fact that Bryant saw fit to file suit suggests that one or more NFL teams might be inclined to sign him, if he is able to play without the looming threat of a one-year suspension.

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